Cork man who breached Protection Order was jealous, sad and paranoid after break-up

Feelings of jealousy, sadness and even paranoia caused a man to watch his ex-partner’s house in the early hours of the morning after the break-up of their relationship and he has been convicted of breaching a Protection Order.

Judge Olann Kelleher told the 42-year-old today that he would penalise him with a €200 fine and a similar fine for an earlier breach but warned that he would end up in jail if he breached it again.

Defence solicitor, Brian Long, said the defendant reacted to ending of the relationship with his partner and had feelings of sadness, jealousy and paranoia.

Mr Long said the accused was being reckless about the presence of the order rather than turning up in any deliberate attempt to do his ex-partner any harm.

He said that since this had occurred in September they had attended a Christmas event together with their child and were cooperating with each other in terms of such matters.

Following the most recent breach of the protection order on Saturday September 7, the young woman said she was in fear she and her sister returned home after a night out to find the accused was across the road. She said they locked the door and looked out the window and she saw her ex-partner running away.

A week before she got a terrible fright when she went to let her dogs out into the back garden in the early hours of the morning to find her ex-partner watching the house.

The parties cannot be identified for legal reasons related to cases brought under the Domestic Violence Act.

The judge told the accused that as a result of two breaches of the court order he was now putting himself at risk of a 12-month jail sentence if he breached it again.